Unpacking Stick Packs: A Guide to the Single-Serve Packaging Market and Manufacturing Process
Contents -
Stick Packaging Market information
Benefits of stick packs
How stick packs are made
How VFFS machines work
Common stick pack sizes
Nutra Connection’s capabilities
How large is the Stick Packaging Market?
“The global stick packaging market size was estimated at USD 461.21 million in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 656.35 million by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 5.4% from 2024 to 2030.”
So how large is the stick packaging market? Large! With a value greater than 461 million dollars, stick packs have proven themselves to be a supplement and food delivery system that consumers love. But why do they love it? For starters, stick packs are convenient! However, we’ll explore their conveniences and attributable benefits in greater depth below. Also included in the blog post is a breakdown of how stick packs are manufactured (using VFFS machines) and how you can access stick packaging services.
Why should I choose stick packs? What are the benefits of Single-Serve Packaging?
Nowadays, consumers are always on the go, which means products must keep up to survive! If a customer can’t easily take your product with them to run errands, go to work, or participate in social gatherings, then it’s probably in the pantry collecting dust. Stick packs, however, are easy for customers to pack and take with them, regardless of how rushed they may be to get out the door. By solving customer pains like size, portability, and convenience, stick packs are an excellent delivery system for supplement and food products.
Let’s explore three major benefits of single-serve packaging:
*Examples may reference stick packs as drink mixes.
-
Stick Packs are portable! Each stick is small and individually sealed, which enables customers to keep it in their pocket or in a bag while navigating their busy schedule. At a moment’s notice, customers can pull out the stick, peel it open, and pour it into a water bottle for use. This portability provides a measure of convenience that bulk bags/mixes can’t!
-
Single-Serving Packaging provides what it suggests: a single serving! That means the stick packs come pre-measured, eliminating the need for customers to manually perform this task before use.
*This also speeds up the preparation time, which customers appreciate - especially if they are in a rush!
-
Every stick pack is individually sealed, which means every serving is protected from external influence despite sharing a carton/container. In contrast, the contents of a bulk bag will be exposed to air, hands, measuring tools, etc. with every use.
How are Stick Packs manufactured? How can I access stick packaging machines?
In a pinch, product developers have been known to prototype stick packs by sealing their product into some packaging film with a flat iron. But manufacturing stick packs by hand can’t compete with the quality and efficiency made possible by stick packaging machines. Today, many dietary supplement & food manufacturers (or co-packers) own and operate single-serve packaging equipment that can dramatically increase the speed of stick pack production.
If you want access to stick packaging machines, finding and contracting a supplement manufacturer (like Nutra Connection) with state-of-the-art packaging equipment is likely the easiest and most affordable option. Be aware that manufacturers may operate different machines, so the speed and capabilities may vary. Despite these differences, the machines that will be used to manufacture your stick packs will probably be “VFFS.” We’ll explain below what these machines are and how they work!
Nutra Connection’s VFFS Machine during the manufacturing process.
What does VFFS stand for?
VFFS stands for “Vertical Form, Fill, and Seal.”
How does a VFFS machine work?
VFFS machines shape pre-printed packaging materials (film) into stick packs, which are subsequently filled with your supplement or food product, sealed, and then cut free from the rest of the film.
IN-DEPTH BREAKDOWN -
Typically, thousands of impressions of film are fed into the VFFS machine. Once set, the film unwinds automatically as it is transformed into a completed stick pack.
If the VFFS machine is equipped to handle multiple lanes, then the film will be directed through a series of blades that cut the film vertically into lane-wide strips.
Film is shaped into a stick pack when it is pulled down and around a vertical tube called the “forming collar.”
Once the film is wrapped around the forming collar, vertical sealing bars pinch the overlapping sides of film together (called a “fin seal”). Horizontal sealing bars also close the bottom of the stick so it can be filled.
The machine pulls the stick down (off the tube) and fills it with a dosing auger.
The horizontal sealing bars from an earlier step now seal the top of the stick (while simultaneously sealing the bottom of your next stick).
This final seal may or may not include a tear notch (clients can choose whether their product will include this).
Lastly, horizontal blades cut the stick free from the rest of the film and release it to be checked and/or filled into secondary packaging (e.g. cartons).
MORE ANSWERS ABOUT VFFS MACHINES & STICK CUSTOMIZATION
Sticks come in many shapes and sizes, so how does one machine handle it all?
With customizable parts and gears! Operators can switch parts of the VFFS machine to alter stick widths, lengths, dosages, and to accommodate different types of film. For example, by adjusting the size of the forming collar and dosing augers, you can change the width of stick packs being produced and the amount of product used to fill it. Additionally, because film may have react differently to heat depending on its material, you can adjust the temperature of sealing bars (and/or the amount of pressure it applies to the sticks) to ensure sticks are sealed successfully and efficiently.
The length of your sticks and your desired fill weight are both factors that impact the speed of production.
Do I need to supply the film? How much?
In most cases where you work with contract manufacturers or co-packers, you’ll need to design, print, and supply the packaging film. To ensure that the desired amount of sticks can be manufactured successfully, you will need to supply a slight overage of film. Your packaging partner can help to determine what amount of overage will suffice. If you are hoping to generate 100,000+ stick packs at a time, your required overage will be around 10 percent.
What is the most common stick pack size?
In our experience, clients choose their stick sizes after considering their product’s dosage amount and film design. However, there are noticeable trends:
Smaller serving sizes of daily vitamins/minerals are usually packaged into 23mm wide sticks with a length of either 100mm or 120mm. (23x100) or (23x120).
Larger serving sizes of hydration or pre-workout related products are commonly packaged into 35mm wide sticks between 130-140mm in length.
In smaller doses, the 35mm wide sticks are more likely to have lengths between 95-110mm.
Nutra Connection’s VFFS machine + a close-up of the machine creating stick packs.
What are Nutra Connection’s stick packaging capabilities?
Nutra Connection’s stick pack equipment efficiently manufactures sticks with accurate weight, consistent proportions, and beautiful seals! Our multi-lane VFFS machines can fill and seal stick packs with powder in three different packet widths (23mm, 35mm and 40mm) and varying packet lengths. We also have a sachet filling machine to help accommodate larger-serving-size packet widths (2.32”, 3” & 4” AKA 59 mm, 76mm & 100mm) at various packet lengths.
Our 10-lane machine (dedicated 35mm) can run 240,000 sticks in a single shift. Combined with our additional stick packaging equipment, Nutra Connection is capable of filling one million sticks in a day!
